Individual Submarines

Northern Fleet:

K-3,

Leninskiy Komsomol, factory no. 254, first nuclear powered
submarine of the Soviet Union. Laid down on September 24, 1955, launched August
9, 1957, commissioned on July 1, 1958, sailed out to the White Sea on July 3.
Ship's nuclear reactors started for the first time on July 4, 1958. K-3 was
stationed at Zapadnaya Litsa. The submarine's first commander was L.G.
Osipenko.[183] On July 17, 1962, K-3 was the
first Soviet submarine to reach the North Pole. The
reactors were seriously damaged in June 1962 as a result of a fire and
subsequent problems in the cooling system.[184]
The submarine was towed to Severodvinsk where the decision was made not to
deactivate the reactor. The reactor compartment of the ship (No. 258) was
therefore cut out and transported away to be dumped in Abrosimova Bay in the
Kara Sea.[185] One of the reactors was dumped
with its fuel. A new section with two reactors was then installed, but in 1967
another accident occurred affecting this section.[186]
Today there are plans for the construction company Malakhit to turn K-3 into a
museum.[187]

K-5,

factory no. 260. Commissioned on August 17, 1960. The Reactor compartment
was cut out and replaced with two new reactors.

factory no. 285. Commissioned on December 23, 1961. During refuelling
operations in Severodvinsk, an uncontrolled chain
reaction occurred resulting in a fire on February 12, 1965.[189] The reactor compartment (either no. 254 or
no. 260 was considerably damaged and had to be cut out of the submarine. Later
that same year or in 1966, both reactors were dumped into Abrosimova Bay in the
Kara Sea while still containing their fuel,[190]
and a new reactor compartment was installed.

K-21,

factory no. 284. Commissioned on December 23, 1961.

K-181,

factory no. 287. Commissioned on October 16, 1962.

K-159.

Commissioned on November 4, 1963.

K-50,

factory no. 290. Commissioned on December 20, 1963.

K-52,

factory no. 283. Commissioned on December 23, 1963.

Pacific Fleet:

K-14,

factory no. 262. Commissioned on December 31, 1959. The submarine belonged
to the Northern Fleet until 1965 when it was transferred to the Pacific Fleet.

K-42,

Rostovsky Komsomolets. Commissioned on November 4, 1963. Laid
up in 1990.

K-115,

factory no. 265. Commissioned on December 30, 1960. Originally assigned to
the Northern Fleet; transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1963.